Sammamish, WA Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- Permit required before construction/alteration/demolition
- Applies to
- Buildings, structures, gas, mechanical, plumbing systems
- Permit validity
- 2 years from issuance
- Extension
- One 1-year extension, half fee, filed within 30 days
- Application expiration
- 18 months if no permit issued
- Unpermitted work
- Stop work order plus special investigation fee
Summary
Sammamish requires a City permit before almost any construction, alteration, demolition or occupancy change. SMC 16.20.195 obligates the owner or an authorized agent to apply to the permit center and obtain the required permit before starting work on a building, structure, or a regulated gas, mechanical or plumbing system.
Any owner or owner's authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any gas, mechanical or plumbing system, the installation of which is regulated by Chapter 16.05 SMC, or to cause any such work to be done, shall first make application to the permit center and obtain the required permit.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance O2026-598, and legislation passed through August 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
195 sets the baseline: any owner or owner's authorized agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace a regulated gas, mechanical or plumbing system, must first apply to the permit center and obtain the permit before the work, or causing the work to be done, begins. 215. 220, and no building permit issues until every related project approval, including SEPA review, subdivision, PUD, conditional use, variance, shoreline and critical areas approvals, is complete and its fees and conditions satisfied. 222. 237, and an extended permit still expires no later than three years after original issuance. 225.
Violations & Fines
Starting work before a permit issues triggers SMC 16.20.355: the City can order a stop to the work and charge a special investigation fee on top of the permit fee, and where structural conformance can't be visually confirmed, the owner must hire a licensed design professional to certify the work's integrity. SMC 16.20.240 lets the building official suspend or revoke a permit issued in error or violated in the field, and continued work after a stop work order draws civil penalties under Chapter 23.100 SMC.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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Building Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle building permits.